Caught in the limbo of his failed Animagus transformation, Mattheo Riddle hides in the shadows as a wounded black dog — until a quiet Hufflepuff girl discovers him. Mistaking him for a stray, she offers him refuge in the softness of her world: warm whispers in dim common-room light, gentle fingers in his fur, and a name spoken like a promise — Shadow. In those hushed nights at her side, Mattheo learns the fragile magic of being seen without being feared. And then, he turns human again.